


Normal

by Evie_adams273



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: (same username), Albus and Scorpius staying together, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Bisexual Scorpius, But I'm a sucker for angst, Canon Compliant, Developed relantionship, F slur, Gay Albus, Gen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Homophobia, I shouldn't write these should I, Lucius is an arsehole, M/M, Mutism, Physical Abuse, Post canon, Pride Flags, Protective Draco, Q slur, Summer Holidays, Triggers, another outing fic, art will be on my instagram and twitter, being outed, belittling, content warnings below, dance, doesn't really involve canon, i realise some of this implies smut and I am not trying to imply that, implied stimming, my writing anniversary, situational mute, sleepover, they just hurt, use of slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27047038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evie_adams273/pseuds/Evie_adams273
Summary: Albus is staying over at Malfoy Manor while Draco is away for the weekend. Things do not take much time to go wrong.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy & Draco Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Kudos: 97





	Normal

**Author's Note:**

> trigger warning: homophobia, use of slurs (f and q), being outed, physical abuse, anxiety attack
> 
> Content warning: mentions of vomiting

Scorpius settled against the bed, smiling as Albus laid his head on his shoulder. He reached for Albus’ hand and ran a finger over Albus’ rings. Albus placed his hand on top of Scorpius’, interlinking their fingers and Scorpius looked down at his boyfriend. He kissed him on the forehead and giggled as Albus kissed him on the lips.

Scorpius had been waiting for tonight all summer. Since the moment his dad had agreed to let Albus stay for a night, he had been planning the few hours they would get together. He sincerely hoped Albus hadn’t intended on sleeping.

They hadn’t seen each other in person since the end of the school year and writing daily would never evoke exactly the same feelings as being able to curl up beside each other just do normal couple things. They had spent two long years getting to this point. Scorpius was determined to make it last long into the future.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

“I’ve missed you too,” Albus smiled. “And I’ll now what you have planned for tonight because I know you. I know you have it planned down to the wire.”

“Well,” Scorpius grinned, “my dad’s away so, we could do anything?”

“But you do you _want_ to do?”

Scorpius laughed. “A lot.”

Albus rolled his eyes, running a hand down Scorpius’ cheek and moving the hair out of his face. Scorpius leant into his palm and moved forward to kiss him again. The natural light that filled the room half gave him pause, because he couldn’t help but be used to kissing in wand-light behind the hangings, or in quiet cupboards and classrooms.

At this point, Scorpius liked being low-level. He liked the private element because he knew that it would become the subject of gossips and shouted comments in corridors the moment anyone else found out. Neither of them had told parents. Telling parents seemed like a bad idea.

Scorpius didn’t know why the idea made him feel sick. His dad had never shown a sign that he would be opposed to Scorpius’ sexuality. Given all time they had put into healing, being angry over his sexuality would be counterintuitive.

Scorpius leaned in to kiss Albus again, closing his eyes and relaxing into the movement. The door opening a few seconds later threw him off guard and he tore away from Albus. His stomach only sank further when he saw his grandfather stood in the doorway.

Lucius looked between the two of them, an expression of displeasure growing on his face as the silence swelled. Albus started to reach for Scorpius’ hand, before stopping himself and backing away.

“What’s going on?” a snarl erupted from Lucius.

“Nothing,” Scorpius said. “Albus is staying overnight while dad’s away and–”

“Well, I can see why you’d pick tonight.”

“Nothing’s going on,” Scorpius blurted. “Albus and I were just–”

“Potter,” Lucius interrupted. “Get out.”

Albus didn’t move at first, glancing at Scorpius. Scorpius looked at him, and then at his grandfather, watching him starting to reach for his wand. Scorpius nodded at Albus. He could see him resisting the urge to take his hand again as he picked up his bag and trudged across the room.

He left the door open behind him and Scorpius swallowed. The tight feeling at the back of his throat had started and strengthened in seconds, like something had clamped itself around his voice box. Even the idea of speaking made him want to vomit.

Lucius stalked across the room, gesturing for Scorpius to stand. Scorpius did so, keeping his head down as he wondered how he had fucked this up so badly.

“Look at me,” Lucius snapped.

Scorpius raised his head again, not meeting his grandfather’s gaze when he stumbled to the side with the force of Lucius’ slap. Scorpius clutched the side of his face as his eyes filled with tears and he collided with the wall. He stood up again, legs trembling.

“Don’t ever lie to me again,” Lucius stepped closer. “You are a Malfoy and you are expected to act like one.

Scorpius didn’t say anything, tears rolling down his cheeks. Lucius looked at him as if he expected something from him. Scorpius stared at the floor.

“The Malfoy family is a respected family. We have a reputation to maintain, and behaviour like that is not acceptable. Do you have an excuse?”

Scorpius tried to whisper. “No, sir.” The sound did not come out.

“What was that?”

Scorpius tried again, the sound even more quiet than before, though he cried out when Lucius hit him again, striking the already-forming bruise. He stopped breathing as Lucius pulled out his wand. If he was desperate, he could seize his own wand, try and fight back. But that would activate the Trace and raise too many questions and then Albus would be outed. Scorpius could just take whatever happened next. He could manage that.

Instead of the pain he expected, Scorpius heard the window shut and lock and he started to panic. He watched his grandfather walk back to the door and place a hand on the doorknob.

“Pack. The Malfoy family has no room for queers.”

And with that, the door clicked shut and locked from the other side. Scorpius sunk down again the wall, dissolving into tears.

How had he messed this up so badly? How had they kept this under wraps for so long only to be caught by his grandfather of all people. At least he now knew how his dad would probably have reacted. If he was gone before his dad came home…he didn’t know what that would mean.

He didn’t have anywhere to go. If Albus didn’t get into trouble, maybe he could go to the Potters. But if Albus was also in trouble, then he didn’t know what they’d do. Surely Albus wouldn’t be kicked out. His mum seemed reasonable. She would defend Albus.

He might not have even told them. He might have made an excuse and Scorpius turning up on his doorstep would undermine everything. But he didn’t know how he would survive if he tried to find his way to a small. He was small, prone to illness, and equipped with an inability to stand up to anyone.

He had to go – somewhere.

Scorpius drew his knees to his chest and let his whole body be wracked with silent sobs. He had known this would end badly the day he had agreed to the first date. He’d ignored the niggling instinct, even talked to Albus about it to put it to rest. And now? Now it had come back to bite.

He had a backpack. His trunk would be too big. He could put the objects of emotional importance aside to pack genuine necessities. He could be practical and sort all of this out. Or he could be if he could bring himself to stand up and start.

The feeling had gone from his legs and Scorpius suspected that getting up would just result in another collapse. A bruise had started to form on his cheek and every twitch of his face hurt a little more than the last.

He shook his entire body, almost violently, as the thoughts descended on him. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to hurt. He just wanted everything to stop and to end. He didn’t care. He didn’t care anymore. He just wanted it to stop so that he could breathe.

Just for a second.

* * *

The nausea in Albus’ stomach when Lucius slapped Scorpius and the sound echoed down the hall. He turned on his heel, ducking past the corridor where Lucius would still be standing to find Draco’s office. If Draco had left any clue as to where he had gone on his weekend away, it would be there. And, even if bringing Draco back would only make things worse, Albus couldn’t just stand by. At the very least, he knew Scorpius would be welcome at the Potter’s.

Albus pushed the office door open, cringing a little as he entered. This didn’t feel right. But none of it felt fucking right. Scorpius had just been physically abused by his grandfather and Albus had walked away. Normal didn’t quite cover it.

The papers on Draco’s desk lay in neat piles around the edge. It appeared to have been filed in various patterns that would make sense to Draco, but Albus didn’t bother to maintain the order as he flicked through each pile and left the desk in a state of chaos. He turned around, his gaze landing on a corkboard opposite and focussing on the most prominent feature – a brochure for a Venetian hotel.

Albus seized it, scanning for the Floo Address as he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and leapt into the fireplace. Moments later, he was spat out into a small room, facing a door and a sign with the same instructions in various languages: ‘Check in this way.’

Albus followed the sign and jogged out into a small reception area. It was fairly non-descript, not the sort of place he would associate with Draco Malfoy, but this had been the only suggestion of a place Draco would be. Albus walked over to the receptionist, no idea what he was going to say until the words tumbled from his mouth.

“Is Draco Malfoy staying here?”

“Yes,” the receptionist nodded. “He went out an hour ago but if you want to wait for him, there’s some chairs over there.”

“Thank you,” Albus glanced at the indicated area and took a seat.

He didn’t know how long he had to wait, whole body trembling at the thought of what would happen to Scorpius. He didn’t try and plan his words with Draco. He would blurt the first thing that came to mind because that would convey the most fear. That was what he needed to emphasise. Even if Draco disowned Scorpius for this, he wouldn’t let his father hurt his son.

Or that was the idea.

If that didn’t work out, Albus would have to go back and deal with it himself.

He didn’t mind coming out to his mum if that meant he could explain Scorpius’ situation and get Scorpius somewhere safe to stay. His mum wouldn’t mind. His dad – well, he’d deal with that when he had to. But this was bigger than him now.

Draco did a double-take when he came through the hotel door, eyes landing on Albus. He froze for a few moments and then hurried over as Albus stood. They met in the middle of the foyer.

“What are you doing here?” Draco frowned.

“Scorpius and I are dating,” Albus panicked more as he started with exactly the wrong words. “Scorpius and I are dating and your dad caught us and kicked me out. He hit Scorpius. I don’t know what happened after that. I came here. I – I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Draco didn’t wait for Albus’ answer, leading him back through to the Floo point and pulling him into the fireplace.

Within seconds, they stood up in the Manor kitchen and Lucius followed Draco up the stairs again. Albus hung back when he saw Lucius. It was probably better that he didn’t get involved in this conversation.

“What are you doing here?” Draco demanded.

“I came to drop something off,” Lucius said, “and thought I’d check in on Scorpius. You know I don’t see him often.”

“So why are you still here?”

“I caught him kissing the Potter boy. He’s packing now.”

Albus’ stomach dropped through the floor and he put a hand over his mouth to stop himself reacting. Fuck. Fuck. He’d abandoned Scorpius to deal with _this_? Of all things?

No. No. He hadn’t abandoned Scorpius. He’d taken a risk; now it was paying off. Draco would help Scorpius. Draco held the power here. And Lucius wouldn’t get violent…would he?

Albus didn’t have his wand. If he did, he would have ducked past and gone to Scorpius’ room to let him out. The Trace be damned. Instead, all he could do was watch the tensions rise between the two men. Draco had all but pulled out his wand, fists clenched in anger.

“Get out.”

“Excuse me?”

“You are no longer welcome in my home. Get out.”

“Are you endorsing this behaviour?” Lucius stared. “You are permitting this level of disgrace to settle upon our family.”

“It’s not a disgrace,” Draco snapped, “and I didn’t know until about five minutes ago. But yes, if Scorpius is happy, then I’m not going to try and change anything about him.”

* * *

Scorpius’ heart started to pound out his chest when the key clicked in the lock on his door. He hadn’t been able to make himself pack and the lump remained fully formed in his throat. The idea of speaking still make him want to vomit.

He flapped his hands, rocking back and forth on the bed as the door creaked open. His body hurt from the tension and all the points where he had accidentally hit himself, and the cramps were building in his legs. He wouldn’t be able to stand up when his grandfather actually kicked him out. He wouldn’t have anywhere to go. He would just try and drag himself to the nearest town and find somewhere – anywhere – to stay.

But his dad opened the door. He stopped, waiting on the inside of it, for Scorpius to stop panicking. Scorpius looked up at him, still shaking but a little calmer now that he could see his dad wasn’t visibly angry.

“Do you want the door closed?” he asked.

Scorpius shook his head. He needed an out if this still went south. Though, being asked for consent on such a small thing suggested it might be okay from here. Certainly, he couldn’t see his grandfather anywhere.

“Can I sit?” Draco gestured to the end of the bed.

Scorpius nodded and his dad settled a foot of so from Scorpius, bringing himself to face his son. 

“Is talking difficult at the moment?”

Scorpius nodded again.

“Okay, that’s okay. Are you alright with me asking you a few questions like this?”

Scorpius nodded for a third time, the nausea starting to regrow in the pit of his stomach, despite apparent safety. Of course this would happen. If would have happened if he’d been able to come out on his own terms. But here they were.

“You’re dating Albus?”

A nod.

“So, you’re gay?”

Scorpius considered for a moment; he shook his head.

“Bisexual?”

A nod. His dad smiled.

And the most important question,” he said. “Are you happy?”

Scorpius nodded without a second thought. He was happy. Finding Albus, falling in love with Albus, and their time together made up the best parts of his life. Even when they disagreed, on the few occasions that disagreements spiralled into arguments, he still loved Albus. Whatever happened, wherever they ended up after Hogwarts, he would still love the boy who had become his best friend within minutes of them meeting.

“And that,” his dad murmured, “is all that matters to me. If you’re happy, I’m happy. And your mum would be so proud of you.”

Scorpius smiled, edging closer to his dad. He leant into the hug offered, closing his eyes and letting the tears fall down his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, the shaking in his hands finally starting to subside.

He was out. Not on his own terms, but at least he could be sure he was safe. At least he could bring his out of from the bottom of his wardrobe and drape it over his door like he’d wanted to for a year and a half.

“When is he leaving?” Lucius’ voice cut through the silence with a familiarly unpleasant drawl. “Please tell me it occurs to you what a f*ggot’s presence will mean for the future of this family.”

Scorpius tensed as his dad pulled away, moving the out of his son’s face and murmuring an assurance before standing up.

“Let’s unpack this,” Draco said quietly, the anger all too present in his voice, “and let’s ignore the large bruise on my son’s face, just for the moment.” Pause. “You threatened me over the future of this family when I told you I wanted to marry Astoria. You told me that we would disgrace ourselves if we didn’t have a child. You told me that we would be unhappy. Which parts of that really came true?  
“As a family, the Malfoys were already disgraced, so don’t you dare attribute that to Astoria. We have a family. I have a wonderful son that you should feel proud to call your grandson. I am happy. I remember my past, but I don’t let it control me. So we are happy. Where you are not.  
“You no longer own this house. You are no longer welcome. So please leave because I don’t wish to get aggressive in order to force you out.”

Lucius scowled, but he turned away. Scorpius watched him turn and leave, to be replaced by Albus in the doorway. Scorpius stood, throwing his arms around his boyfriend and trying to whisper thank you. The sound didn’t really come out, but he knew Albus would understand. 

“If you want to take a rain check and rearrange tonight–”

Scorpius stepped back and shook his head. He wanted to do tonight, even if it would be quieter than originally planned. They would a movie, curl up in each other’s arms, do the things normal couples did. No. Not ‘normal. They weren’t abnormal. They were a normal couple, and always had been.

“Do you want an ice pack for the bruise?” Draco asked.

Scorpius shook his head. It didn’t really hurt anymore. Maybe it would later, when the shock wore off, but he could deal with that then. For the moment, he wanted to focus on something else and bring himself out of the final stages of panic.

He walked across the room, setting up and switching on the record player. He opened his wardrobe, retrieving the flag from beneath the boxes and wrapping it around himself. He started to dance. Merlin, he’d missed this. Albus joined him in the centre of the floor, taking his hands and pushing them closer to some sort of slow dance.

Scorpius went with it, and within a few moments, he and Albus were swaying around the room.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that this was ridiculously depressing and also the second one of these 'outing' fics I've written recently, so I should probably stop as they're generally unpleasant.  
> A note on use of slurs - f slur is censored because I'm not a gay man. Q slur is not censored because I use the term to describe myself in some ways.  
> A note on Scorpius going non-verbal - simply an expression of what happens to me, so please don't attack me over any depictions.
> 
> Also...today marks three years since I started writing and holy shit it's been a long three years. I've come a long way since the straight girl starting a Wattpad (in literally every sense lol). But yes, it's been a hell of a time since. And I would definitely do this again, given the chance. All of it.
> 
> Thanks for reading  
> Kudos and comments much appreciated  
> Twitter/Instagram: @evie_adams273
> 
> FUCK JKR (and TERFs in general)
> 
> Black Lives Matter


End file.
